CA2246590A1 - Electrically driven bicycle - Google Patents
Electrically driven bicycle Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CA2246590A1 CA2246590A1 CA002246590A CA2246590A CA2246590A1 CA 2246590 A1 CA2246590 A1 CA 2246590A1 CA 002246590 A CA002246590 A CA 002246590A CA 2246590 A CA2246590 A CA 2246590A CA 2246590 A1 CA2246590 A1 CA 2246590A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- battery case
- battery
- main frame
- electrically driven
- case
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 15
- 229910052751 metal Inorganic materials 0.000 description 15
- 238000003780 insertion Methods 0.000 description 7
- 230000037431 insertion Effects 0.000 description 7
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 6
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 6
- 235000014676 Phragmites communis Nutrition 0.000 description 3
- 238000013459 approach Methods 0.000 description 3
- 239000000428 dust Substances 0.000 description 3
- 239000000758 substrate Substances 0.000 description 3
- JOYRKODLDBILNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N Ethyl urethane Chemical compound CCOC(N)=O JOYRKODLDBILNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 239000006260 foam Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000007654 immersion Methods 0.000 description 1
- 150000002739 metals Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
- B62M—RIDER PROPULSION OF WHEELED VEHICLES OR SLEDGES; POWERED PROPULSION OF SLEDGES OR SINGLE-TRACK CYCLES; TRANSMISSIONS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SUCH VEHICLES
- B62M6/00—Rider propulsion of wheeled vehicles with additional source of power, e.g. combustion engine or electric motor
- B62M6/40—Rider propelled cycles with auxiliary electric motor
- B62M6/60—Rider propelled cycles with auxiliary electric motor power-driven at axle parts
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
- B62M—RIDER PROPULSION OF WHEELED VEHICLES OR SLEDGES; POWERED PROPULSION OF SLEDGES OR SINGLE-TRACK CYCLES; TRANSMISSIONS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SUCH VEHICLES
- B62M6/00—Rider propulsion of wheeled vehicles with additional source of power, e.g. combustion engine or electric motor
- B62M6/80—Accessories, e.g. power sources; Arrangements thereof
- B62M6/90—Batteries
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60K—ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES
- B60K1/00—Arrangement or mounting of electrical propulsion units
- B60K1/04—Arrangement or mounting of electrical propulsion units of the electric storage means for propulsion
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60Y—INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO ASPECTS CROSS-CUTTING VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY
- B60Y2200/00—Type of vehicle
- B60Y2200/10—Road Vehicles
- B60Y2200/13—Bicycles; Tricycles
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Transportation (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Battery Mounting, Suspending (AREA)
- Arrangement Or Mounting Of Propulsion Units For Vehicles (AREA)
Abstract
An electrically driven bicycle includes: a driving section for driving a wheel; a battery for supplying an electric power to the driving section; and a battery case loaded with the battery and mounted onto a main frame of the bicycle, wherein the battery case is formed to have a transversal cross section that includes a recess to cover at least a part of an outer surface of the main frame, and at least a portion of the battery is inserted into an inner space on each side of the recess.
Description
CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 TITLE OF THE INVENTION
ELECTRICALLY DRIVEN BICYCLE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
l. Field of the Invention 6 Thepresentinventlonrelatestoanelectricallydrivenbicycle, and more particularly to an electrically driven bicycle which utilizes a driving power of a motor for assisting a human driving power or which utilizes the driving power of the motor as a main driving power for traveling. Especially, the present invention relates to an electrically driven bicycle in which a shape of a battery case and a configuration of a battery are improved so that a user can ride on and off the bicycle smoothly and can travel in a safe state.
ELECTRICALLY DRIVEN BICYCLE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
l. Field of the Invention 6 Thepresentinventlonrelatestoanelectricallydrivenbicycle, and more particularly to an electrically driven bicycle which utilizes a driving power of a motor for assisting a human driving power or which utilizes the driving power of the motor as a main driving power for traveling. Especially, the present invention relates to an electrically driven bicycle in which a shape of a battery case and a configuration of a battery are improved so that a user can ride on and off the bicycle smoothly and can travel in a safe state.
2. Description of the Related Art Inaconventionalelectricallydrivenbicycleofacertaintype, a motor for driving wheels to assist a human driving power for traveling is mounted and a battery as a driving power source for the motor is mounted on the bicycle. As shown generally in Fig.
ll, a main frame of the bicycle mainly includes a head pipe 104 on ~0 which a handlebar 105 is mounted, a standing pipe 102 on which a saddle 106 is mounted, and a main pipe (hidden by a battery case 110 in Fig. 11) bridging the head pipe 104 and the standing pipe 102, and the like. A structure is generally known in which the battery case ll0 loaded with batteries is disposed on themain pipe, CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 as shown in Fig. 11. The battery case 110 may be disposed in the frontorintherearofthestandingpipe102insteadofbeingdisposed on the main pipe. In Fig- 11, the reference numeral 101 represents a drivingsectioninCorporatinganelectricmotor, aspeedreduction mechanism, a torque sensor, and the like; and the reference numeral 119 represents a frame cover that covers metal fittings provided in the main frame. The reference numeral 115 represents a cap for covering a charging connector. The cap 115 prevents intrusion of water and dust.
In the conventional electrically driven bicycle, the battery case is mounted over or under the main pipe, or in the front or in the rear of the standing pipe, as described above. Therefore, a structureisadoptedinwhichabatterypackisprepared, forexample, bymakingfiverowseachincludingfourbatteriesconnectedinseries, allowingallthebatteriestobeconnectedinseries, andthebattery pack is inserted into the battery case as it is. However, since each of the batteries has a diameter of about 33mm, the height of thestackedbatterieswillbeveryhighwhenthenumberofthestacked batteries is about three or more. Therefore, a problem arises such ~0 that there will be alargeprotuberance formed bythe batteries over the main pipe or in front of the standing pipe, making it difficult to ride on or off the bicycle.
Further, in the case where the batteries are to be disposed in the front or in the rear of the standing pipe, if the battery CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 case is to be disposed on the chain case because of the existence of the chain case, the saddle must be mounted at a higher position, so that it will be very difficult for a less tall person to ride the bicycle because the feet cannot reach the ground so easily On the other hand, in the case where the batteries are disposed in a space adjacent to the chain case, the batteries are unbalanced, so thattheusercannotridethebicycleinastablemannerand, further, the batteries are not arranged in order, making the wiring complex and increasing the costs.
Moreover, ifsucha cap forcoveringthe connectorisprovided, it may possibly be an obstacle in riding on the bicycle because the clothes or the feet of the user maybe caught by the cap and, besides that, the appearance will be deteriorated, although the cap for covering the connector prevents intrusion ofwater and dust. Also, although the fixing member for fixing the battery to the main frame isprovidedtointerlockwithakey, thefixingmembercanbeactuated with the key even if the battery is not fixed to the main frame.
Therefore, the user can allow the bicycle to run even ifthe battery isnotfirmlyfixedtothemainframe,sothatthebatterymaypossibly fall off while the bicycle is traveling.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in view of these circumstances and one object thereof is to provide an electrically driven bicycle with improved facility in riding on and off the CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 bicycle by disposing the batteries separately to surround the main frame in order to provide less protuberance on each side, instead of disposing all the batteries only on one side of the main frame.
Another object of the present invention is to improve facility 5 in riding on and off the bicycle by allowing the side of the battery case facing away from the main frame (the front or upper side of the battery case) to be shaped like an arc or to have a smaller width Still another object of the present invention is to provide an electrically driven bicycle having a battery configuration that 10 allows the front or upper side of the battery case to have a smaller width .
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an electrically driven bicycle having a battery configuration with good space utilization efficiency by evading the chain case if the 15 battery case is to be disposed near the standing pipe.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an electrically driven bicycle having a battery case without exposlng the connector section to outside, thereby eliminating the need for a cap for covering the connector section, reducing the ~0 number of components in the bicycle, and providing a good appearance Still another object of the present invention is to provide an electrically driven bicycle in which the battery case can be firmly fixed to the main frame, thereby ensuring a safety of the bicycle .
CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 Accordingly, the present inventio11 provides an electrically driven bicycle including: a driving section for driving a wheel;
a battery for supplying an electric power to the driving section;
and a battery case loaded with the battery and mounted onto a main frame of the bicycle, wherein the battery case is formed to have a transversal cross section that includes a recess to cover at least a part of an outer surface of the main frame, and at least a portion of the battery is inserted into an inner space on each side of the recess.
BRIFF DESCRIPTION OF THF DRA~INGS
The present invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. l is a side view of an electrically driven bicycle according to one embodiment of the present invention;
Fig.2isaviewshowingatransversalcrosssectionofabattery case and a standing pipe of the electrically driven bicycle of Fig.
l;
~0 Fig. 3is a viewshowinga vertical cross sectionofthebattery case of the electrically driven bicycle of Fig. l;
Fig. 4 is a view showing a vertical cross section of a charging connector section in the electrically driven bicycle of Fig. l;
Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view cut along the line A-A of Fig.
CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a fixed state of an upper portion of the battery case by means of a fixing means;
Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view cut along the line A-A of Fig 6;
Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a non-fixed state of the upper portion of the battery case by means of a fixing means;
Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view cut alongthe line B-B of Fig.
8;
Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view cut along the line B-B of Fig. 6; and Fig. 11 is a side view of a conventional electrically driven bicycle according to one example.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRE~ERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention provides an electrically driven bicycle including: a driving section for driving a wheel; a battery for supplying an electric power to the driving section; and a battery case loaded with the battery and mounted onto a main frame of the bicycle, wherein the battery case is formed to have a transversal cross section that includes a recess to cover at least a part of an outer surface of the main fra~e, and at least a portion of the battery is inserted into an inner space on each side of the recess.
Here, the main frame of the bicycle refers to a principal component of a bicycle frame that constitutes the bicycle and CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 includesaheadpipe (headtube)onwhichahandlebaristobemounted, astandlngpipe (seattube) onwhichasaddle (seat) istobemounted, a main pipe (down tube) that bridges the head pipe and the standing pipe, and the like With this structure, the battery case is prevented from protruding only to one side of the main frame, thereby providing a compact shape and greatly improving the facility in riding on and off the bicycle.
The battery case that covers the main frame has an outline of the transversal cross section such that a central portion of a perimeter opposite to the recess has an arc-like shape or the width of the central portion is smaller than the width of the perimeter of the recess. Accordingly, the width of the front or upper side of the protrusion from the main frame will be smaller, thereby greatly improving the facility in riding on and off the bicycle.
Thepluralityofbatteries tobeinsertedintothebatterycase are preferably formed into a batteryassembly. Namely, the battery assembly is made of a first battery pack having n batteries (where n is an integer of two or more) arranged in a line and wrapped in series connection and two second battery packs each having n batteries arranged in a plurality of lines and wrapped in series connection.
Preferably, the battery case includes a protrusion formed opposite to the recessi the first battery pack is inserted into an CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 lnner space of the protrusion; and each of the two second battery packs is respectively inserted into the inner space on each side of the recess in such a manner that the two second battery packs are closer to each other in a direction towards the first battery pack.
Slnce the two second battery packs are inserted as descrlbed above so that the two second battery packs are closer to each other onthe firstbatterypackside, the frontoruppersideofthebattery case facing away from the main frame can be advantageously formed to have an arc-like shape or to have a smaller width.
Preferably, the electrically driven bicycle of the present invention is constructed in such a manner that the main frame includes a standing pipe and a main pipe; the standing pipe extends obliquely in a downward and forward direction from the saddle; the main pipe is connected to the standing pipe and extends obliquely in an upward and forward direction; the electrically drivenbicycle further includes a chain case and a mounting platform; the chain case extends toward a rear wheel from a connecting part of the standing pipe and the main pipe; the mounting platform is disposed at the connecting part and serves to mount the battery case on the standing pipe by mounting a lower end of the battery case thereon;
thebatterycaseisprovidedwithanarrowportionandawideportion;
the narrow portion is disposed at the lower end of the battery case and formed to have a width smaller than that of an upper portion CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 of the battery case in a right-and-left dlrection so as not to interfere with the chain case; the narrow portion is provided with an output terminal for the batteries; the wide portion is disposed at the upper portion of the battery case and extends above the chain 5 case; and the batteries are inserted into an inner space of the wide portion so that the batteries are substantially symmetrical with respect to a central plane formed by a center line of the standing pipe and a center line of the main pipe.
By providing the above construction, the batteries are 10 substantially symmetrical with respect to the central plane in the right-and-left direction, thereby improving a stability of the bicycle. Further, the height of the battery case from a bottom of the bicycle can be made smaller by efficiently arranging other electronic components, such as an output terminal and a connector, 15 adj acent to the chain case .
Preferably, the electrically driven bicycle of the present invention is constructed in such a manner that the batteries are rechargeable; the battery case includes a charging connector section for charging the batteries; the connector section is located at a _O portion of the battery case nearer to the main frame; and the battery case is mounted onto the main frame in such a manner that the connector section is hidden by the main frame.
By providing this construction, since the charging connector section is hidden by the main frame, intrusion of water and dust CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 can be easily prevented, whereby a need for providing a cap is eliminated, thus reducing the number of components in the blcycle.
Preferably, an elastic sheet is disposed at a contacting part of the battery case and the main frame so as to fix the battery case firmly onto the main frame and to prevent wobbling of the battery case. Preferably, the elastic sheet is disposed above thecharglng connectorsection andbetween thebatterycase andthe standingpipe in the case where the battery case is mounted near the standingpipe of the main frame, thereby shutting off the rain water and the like coming down along the standing pipe.
Preferably, the batterycasehas astructuresuch that theside portions of the battery case are bent towards the main frame so that the battery case covers the charging connector section, thereby further protecting the charging connector section from the rain water andthelike. Specifically, itispreferablethat thebattery case is formed to have a substantially U-shaped transversal cross section and is mounted to cover the main frame, and the charging connector section is disposed at a bottom of the U-shaped portion.
Preferably, the electrically driven bicycle of the present ~0 invention further includes a mount detecting means and a fixing means; the mount detecting means detects that the battery case is mounted to a predetermined position of the main frame; the fixing means fixes the battery case to the main frame, whereby the fixing means fixes the battery case to the main frame only when the mount CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 detecting means detects that thebatterycase is mounted to the main frame.
In other words, in the case where the battery case is to be mounted on the main frame, the detecting means does not detect that 6 the battery case is mounted and the fixing means cannot fix the battery case onto the main frame until the battery case is firmly mounted to the main frame. When the battery case is firmly mounted to the main frame, the fixing means can fix the battery case onto the main frame.
Further, the detecting means may include an elastic body (an urging member) for urging the battery case in the non-mounting direction (i.e. in a direction that resists the battery case from being mounted to the main frame). The elastic body preferably has an elastic force larger than the weight of the battery case.
16 By providing this construction, the fixing means cannot fix the battery case onto the main frame merely under a condition that the battery case is mounted onto the main frame. It is only after the battery case is pressed by a force of the user to contract the elastic body in the mounting direction that the fixing means is ~0 actuated to fix the battery case onto the main frame Preferably, the fixing means includes a lock that fixes/releases the battery case to/from the main frame and is interlocked with a power switch, whereby the power switch is turned on when the battery case is fixed to the main frame by the lock.
CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 By providing thls construction, an electric power clrcuit is not energlzed if the battery case is not firmly mounted to the main frame, and it is only after the battery case is fixed to the main framebythe fixingmeans thatthepowerswitch is turnedon, thereby ensuring a safety of the bicycle.
Preferably, the battery case is disposed in a neighborhood including at least an outer surface of the standingpipe of the main frame at a front wheel side, and the fixing means includes a lock disposed at a rear wheel side of the standing pipe and releasably fixing an upper end of the battery case to the standing pipe.
By providing this construction, the battery case will not be an obstacle for riding on and off the bicycle, and the battery case can be fixed onto the standing pipe in an embracing manner, so that the battery case can be firmly fixed onto the standing pipe.
EMBODIMENTS
An electrically driven bicycle according to the present invention is now detailed with reference to the attached drawings.
Referring to Fig. 1 which illustrates a side view of an embodiment,theelectricallydrivenbicycleofthepresentinvention i~0 includes a driving section 1 for driving a wheel, a battery for supplying an electric power to the driving sectlon 1, and a battery case 10 for housing the battery. The battery case 10 is mounted near a standlng pipe 2 which is a component of a main frame.
Referring to Fig. 2, the battery case 10 is formed to have a CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 transversal cross section that includes a recess lOc to cover at least a part of an outer perimeter (outer surface) of the standing pipe 2.
As shown in Fig. 2, the battery case 10 is formed to have a S U-shaped cross section by providing the recess lOc which covers a front wheel side and lateral sldes of the standing pipe 2. In other words, the battery case 10 is disposed to cover not only the front or rear part of the standing pipe 2 but also the lateral sides of the standing pipe 2. Further, in the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, the battery case 10 is formed so that the front part thereof has a width E smaller than the width D of the battery case 10 at the standing pipe 2 side. The battery case 10 includes a rear case 18a andafrontcase18bthatare formed, forexample, byplasticmolding.
The rear case 18a and the front case 18b are formed into one case 16 by an engagement of pawls 18c.
As shown by a vertical cross section in Fig. 3, the battery case 10 houses a battery assembly including a first battery pack 12a having fourbatteries 12 arrangedin a llneandwrappedinseries connection into a packed body and two second battery packs 12b each having eight batteries arranged in two lines (each line containing four batteries) and wrapped in series connection into two packed bodies. As shown in Fig. 2, the first battery pack 12a is inserted into an inner space of a top portion which is a protrusion formed opposlte to the front side of the standing pipe 2, namely, opposite , CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 to the recess lOc, and the second packs 12b are inserted in the direction from the lateral sides of the standing pipe 2 (i.e. the inner spaces on both sides of the recess lOc) towards the flrst pack 12a.
S These twenty batteries 12 are connected together in series.
In the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, the two second packs 12b are respectively inserted into the inner spaces on both sides of the standing pipe 2 in such a manner that the two second battery packs 12b are closer to each other on the first pack 12a side, i.e. so that the cross sections of the second battery packs form a shape like a character "~". The above-mentioned pawls 18c for engaging the rear case 18a and the front case 18b are formed at a position approximatelyin the middle ofaside surface ofeach secondbattery pack 12b.
A protrusion lOa is provided at a bottom of the battery case 10. The protrusion lOa can be inserted into an insertion hole 20a ofamountingplatform20 fixedbyweldingortheliketo thestanding pipe 2 and the main pipe 3 at a connecting part of the pipes 2, 3.
Further, the lower end of the battery case 10 is formed to have a ~0 smaller width in order to evade the chain case 7 (See F of Fig. 3), and an upper portion of the battery case 10 above the chain case 7 is formed to have a larger width (See G of Fig. 3). The batteries 12 are inserted into the upper and wider portion of the batterycase 10 so that the batteries are approximately symmetrical in the CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 right-and-left dlrection with respect to a central plane (theplane formed by the center line of the standing pipe 2 and the center line ofthemainpipe3). Further, electriccomponentssuchasacharging connector 11, a fuse 13, and an output terminal lq are disposed in the lower and narrower portion of the battery case 10. Therefore, the upper and wider portion of the battery case 10 can be used exclusively as a space for the batteries 12, so that the batterles 12 can be arranged efficiently in the battery case 10.
The lower end of the battery case 10 as shown above is fixed near the standing pipe 2 by insertion of its protrusion lOa into the insertion hole 20a of the mounting platform 20, and the upper portion of the battery case 10 is clamped, in interlocking relationship with the rotation of the key that switches the output of the battery on and off, by means of metal clamp 33 of a key box 30 as a lock that is attached to the standing pipe 2. The output terminal of the battery case 10 will be connected to a connection pin of a terminal platform 22 provided on the mounting platform 20 when the battery case 10 is mounted on the mounting platform 20.
Also, an elastic sheet 17 is stuck by adhesion onto an inner surface of the recess lOc of the battery case 10 so that the battery case 10 is firmly fixedonto thestandingpipe2 withoutcausingawobble.
The peripheryofthe mountingplatform20is coveredbya framecover 28 to protect the mounting platform 20 and to maintain good appearance.
CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 The other components such as a front wheel, a ~ear wheel, a handlebar, a saddle, a pedal, and a chain are the same as those of an ordinary bicycle, and the functions performed by a brake and the likearealsothesame~sothatanexplanationthereofwillbeomitted here. In the previous example, the battery case lO is disposed in the front and on the lateral sides of the standing pipe 2 so as to cover the standing pipe 2. The same explanation will apply also to the case in which the battery case lO is mounted near another portionofthemainframe, suchasthemainpipe. Thecentralportion of the battery case lO disposed at the front side opposite to the recess and facing away from the main frame may be formed to have a continuous arc-like shape from the lateral sides instead of being formedto have anarrowprojectioninits transversal crosssection.
As described above, the battery case lO in the electrically drivenbicycle ofthepresentinventionincludes the recesslOcthat covers the main frame. Accordingly, the thickness or the height of the battery case lO protruding forward or upward from the main frame can be made smaller than in conventional bicycles, so that the battery case lO will not be an obstacle in riding on and off ~O thebicycle. Also, evenifthebatterycaselOextendsinthelateral direction of the standing pipe 2 or the main pipe, the width of the battery case 10 is smaller than the distance between the pedals, so that the battery case 10 will not be an obstacle in stepping the pedals or in riding on and off the bicycle, thereby providing an CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 electrically driven bicycle with great facility in riding on and off the bicycle. The facility in riding on and off the bicycle will be further improved in the case where the top portion of the protrusion (the frontportionoppositeto the recess) ofthebattery case 10 is formed to have an arc-like shape or to have a smaller width in its transversal cross section.
The plurality of batteries 12 to be inserted into the battery case 10 having the above structure cannot be inserted together as a bundle. However, the width of the battery case 10 at its front or upper portion can be made smaller than the width of the battery case 10 at its lateral sides by dividing the batteries 12 into a first pack 12a having aplurality ofbatteries 12 arranged in a line and two second packs 12b each having a plurality of batteries arranged in two lines and by inserting each of the two second packs 12b respectively into an inner space on each side of the recess lOc and inserting the first pack 12a into the protrusion opposite to the recess lOc. Therefore, the battery case 10 can be formed into a smooth arc-like shape without a square shoulder portion (See R
portion in Fig. 2).
~O In other words, if the two second packs 12b of batteries are inserted parallel to each other, their shoulder portions will protrude greatly like a square, so that the width of the battery case at its front or upper portion will be wider. However, by inserting the two second packs 12b ofbatteries 12 obliquelyso that CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 they are not parallel to each other, the width of the battery case 10 at its front or upper portion can be made smaller, as described before. Further, since the two second packs 12b of batteries 12 disposed on the lateral sides are obliquely arranged so that they are closer to each other at the front or upper portion thereof, a space for engagement of the pawls 18c can be ensured by dividing the battery case 10 into two portions and providing the engagement portions on the lateral sides of the two second packs 12b. As a result, the battery case 10 can be formed to be compact and with a narrow width at its front or upper portion.
Further, by allowing the rear or bottom portion of the battery case 10 to have a narrower width, the chain case 7 can be evaded and, moreover, bymountingthe electriccomponentssuch as an output terminal and a connector in the narrower portion, the batteries 12 can be arranged in the wider portion above the chain case 7 so that thebatteries12 areapproximatelyinsymmetryintheright-and-left direction with respect to the central plane, thereby providing a battery case 10 which is compact and stable.
The charging connector 11 for charging the rechargeable batteries 12 is disposed at the standing pipe 2 side of the battery caselO, asshowninFig.4whichillustratesaverticalcrosssection of that portion. Further, the battery case 10 is mounted so that the charging connector 11 is hidden by the standingpipe 2, as shown in Fig. 5 which illustrates a cross section cut along the line A-A
CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 of Fig. 4.
A protruslon lOa is disposed at the bottom of the battery case 10. The protrusion lOa engages with an insertion hole 20a provided in the mounting platform 20 and is fixed thereto by a tongue piece 21 of the mounting platform 20 for preventing the battery case 10 from falling forward. Also, in this example, an output terminal 14 is disposed to be in contact with a connection pin 23 provided on the mounting platform 20, so that the output from the batteries 12 can be taken out simply by mounting the battery case 10 onto the mounting platform 20.
Anupperportionofthebatterycase lOis fixedbybeingpulled towards the standing pipe 2 by means of a key box 30, as shown in Fig. 1. Therefore, the upper portion of the battery case 10 can be easily dislodged by releasing the fixation performed by the key box 30 and pulling the upper portion of the battery case 10 upward whileallowingthebatterycasetoleanalittleforward. Conversely, in mounting the battery case 10, the protrusion lOa at the bottom of the battery case 10 is inserted into the insertion hole 20a of the mounting platform 20 by mounting the battery case 10 onto the ~0 mounting platform 20 while allowing the battery case 20 to lean a little forward, and the battery case 10 is mounted in place by allowing the upperportion ofthebatterycase 10 to approach toward the standingpipe 2, whereby the battery case 10 can be easily fixed by means of the key box 30.
CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 Inthepresentinventlon, thechargingconnectorllisdisposed at a position at the bottom of the battery case 10 and at a center of the side which is in contact with the standlng pipe 2. The rechargeable batteries can be charged, for example, by inserting S aplug, which isprovidedinacharger (notshown), into thecharging connector 11. Since the charging connector 11 is provided on the standingpipe2 sideofthebatterycaselO in thepresentinvention, the batteries 12 cannot be charged while the battery case 10 is mounted on the main frame. The batteries 12 are charged by dislodgingthebatterycasel~andinsertingtheplugofthecharger.
Meanwhile, an opening of the charging connector 11 is blocked by thestandingpipe 2, so thatthe chargingconnectorllis notvisible from outside at all and is mounted directly in contact with the standing pipe 2 without a cap.
In this example, an elastic sheet 17 is disposed between the battery case 10 and the standing pipe 2. The elastic sheet 17 is, for example, made of an expanded urethane foam and is preferably disposed because the elastic sheet 17 can fix the battery case 10 to the standingpipe2 firmlyandcanprevent wobblingofthebattery ~0 case lO. In the example shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5, the elastic sheet 17 is disposed at a position above the connector 11. By providing the elastic sheet 17 at a position above the connector 11, the elastic sheet 17 will not be an obstacle in charging the batterieseven ifthe elasticsheet17 is kept fixedonto thebattery _O
CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 case 10. Moreover, the rain water running down from above can be prevented from immersing into the connector 11. Alternatively, however, if the elastic sheet 17 is stuck onto the standing pipe 2, theelasticsheet17 canlieovertheconnectorllas well, thereby further preventing the wobbling of the battery case 10 and the immersion of water into the connector 11.
In the electrically driven bicycle of the present invention, the upper portion ofthebatterycaselO is fixedbymeansofa fixing member (metal clamp 33) of the key box 30 which is mounted on the standing pipe 2, as shown in Fig. 6.
In the key box 30, the metal clamp 33, which constitutes the fixing member, is fixed by means of a screw (not shown) onto a key station 32 which is rotatable by insertion of a key 31, as shown in Fig. 7. A clamping portion 33a having an arc-like inner surface is formed on a part of the outer circumference of the metal clamp 33 and is capable of being in sliding contact with an outer circumference of a cylindrical body or tubular body by rotation, whereby the clamping portion 33a is brought into sliding contact with a sliding portion (roller 15) which is disposed on the battery case 10 and having a circular outer circumference (See Fig. 5) A
magnet 35 is mounted on the metal clamp 33 so that a reed switch (not shown) attached on a substrate (not shown) mounted on a substrate mounting frame 37 is turned on when the magnet 35 approaches the reed switch. In other words, by a predetermined CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 amount (one stage) of rotation of the key 31, the clamping portlon 33a of the metal clamp 33 is brought into sliding contact with the sliding portion of the battery case 10 to fix the battery case 10.
By one further stage of rotation, the magnet 35, while maintaining 6 the sliding state, approaches the reed switch to turn the power on.
A concave-convex portion 33b is formed on the outer circumference of the metal clamp 33 opposite to the clamping portion 33a, as shown in Fig. 6 or Fig. 8, to engage with a spring piece 43 formedbyanelasticbodythathasashapeengagingwithitsconcave 10 portion, thereby allowing clicks in the rotation of the key 31 (so that the key rotates stage by stage) . The spring piece 43 is mounted onto a key stay 42 by a screw. Further, a pawl portion 33c is formed adj acent to the concave-convex portion 33b . In releasing the fixation of the battery case 10, the pawl portion 33c strikes a 15 projecting piece portion 44a of a stopper pin 44 to inhibit the rotation of the key 31.
Since the stopper pin 44 is mounted onto the key stay 42 via a spring 45 as shown in Fig. 7, the projecting piece portion 44a of the stopper pin 44 is dislodged from the pawl portion 33c by ~0 pressing the stopper pin 44 in the direction of S so as to rotate the key 31 in the releasing direction. Namely, in order to prevent the battery case 10 from falling off by inadvertent rotation of the key 31 in the releasing direction, the battery case 10 is allowed to dislodge by rotating the key 31 while pressing the stopper pin CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 44. The pawl portion 33c is formed in a twisted shape~ so that the key31 canbe rotatedina reversedirection, namelyin thedlrection for mounting the battery case 10, without pressing the stopper pin 44.
A pressing member 50, which is a detecting means made ofresin, is disposed in contact with a front tip of the stopper pin 44 as seen in the direction of S. The pressing member S0 lncludes a restricting section 50a and a contact section 50b. The restricting section 50a is brought into contact with the stopper pin 44. The contact section 50b is brought into contact with a protrusion lOc formed on the battery case lO for being detected and is pressed when the battery case 10 is mounted. Further, the pressing member 50 is provided with a spring 51 which is an elastic body for urging the battery case 10 in the direction which resists the battery case 10 from being mounted.
When the battery case 10 is not mounted, the pressing member 50 is pressed towards the battery case 10 by a force of the spring 51 as shown in Fig. 9, so that the restricting section 50a and the stopperpin44arein contactandthestopperpin44cannotbepressed ~0 by the user. Also, when the battery case lO is mounted as shown in Fig. 10, the pressing member 50 is pressed by the protrusion lOc of the battery case 10, so that the contact between the stopper pin 44 and the restricting section 50a is released and the stopper pin 44 can be operated. The force of the spring 51 for urging the CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 pressing member 50 ls set to such a degree that the spring S1 does not contract merely under the condition that the battery case 10 lS mounted, so that the pressing member 50 can be moved only after the battery case 10 is pressed into a mounted state by a force of the user.
In the key box 30, metal fittings 41 are fixed by being stuck to the standing pipe 2, as shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 8. The above-mentioned key station 32 and the substrate 37 are fixed onto the metal fittings 41 as shown in Fig. 7, and further the key stay 42 for holding the stopper pin 44 and the spring 45 is fixed by the screw 46. A tongue piece 41a is provided on the metals flttings 41 and is disposed above the projection lOb of the sliding portion ofthebatterycaselO. Asaresult, thebatterycaselOisprevented from being dislodged upwards by the upward and downward vibration ofthe batterycase 10. Naturally, the lowerportion of the battery case is held by the mounting platform 20.
The other components such as a front wheel, a rear wheel, a handle, a saddle, a pedal, and a chain are the same as those of an ordinary bicycle, and the functions performed by a brake and the likearealsothesame, sothatanexplanationthereofwillbeomitted here. In the previous example, the battery case 10 is mounted onto the standingpipe. The same explanation will applyalso to the case in which the battery case 10 is mounted onto another portion of the main frame such as the main pipe if the battery case 10 is mounted CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 in a vertical dlrection or ln an oblique direction.~
Next, with reference to Figs. 6, 10, 8, and 9, an explanation will be given on the operations of attaching/detaching the battery case 10 and turning the switch on/off by operating the key 31 of 5 the key box 30. Referring to Figs. 8 and 9, the upper portion of the battery case 10 is not fixed while the clamping portion 33a of the metal clamp 33 is not in sliding contact with the sliding portion of the battery case 10, and the battery case 10 can be dislodged by tilting the upper portion of the battery case 10 forward and 10 pulling it out. Here, the battery case 10 cannot be brought from the fixed state into this released state unless the stopper pin 44 is pressed as described before.
On the other hand, the battery case 10 containing the recharged batteries is mounted on the mounting platform 20 so that the lS protrusion 10a of the battery case 10 is inserted into the insertion hole 20a of the mounting platform 20, and then the key 31 is rotated while allowing the upper portion of the battery case 10 to be in close contact with the standing pipe 2, whereby the clamping portion 33a of the metal clamp 33 is brought into sliding contact with the 20 sliding portion 15 of the battery case 10 and, by rotating the metal clamp 33 into the state shown in Fig. 6, the upper portion of the battery case 10 is fixed and the switch is turned on. Further, when the metal clamp 33 is rotated by rotating the key 31, the switch is turned off.
CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 Next, an explanation of theoperation for mounting thebattery case 10 will be given. In the case where the battery case 10 is dislodged for charging or the like, the position of the key 31 is such that the key 31 has been rotated clockwise, as shown in Fig.
8. This state prevents the user from pressing the stopper pin 44 because the stopper pin 44 and the restricting section 50a of the pressing member 50 are in contact, as shown in Fig. 9. When the batterycase 10 is mounted andthebatterycase 10 ispressedagainst the force of the spring 51 by the user, the contact portion 50b is pressed by the protrusion lOc and the pressing member 50 is pressed upwards as a whole in the Figure, releasing the contact between the restricting section 50a and the stopper pin 44, whereby the stopper pin 44 can be pressed by the user. By this construction, the key 31 cannot be rotated and an electric power cannot be supplied from the batteries unless the battery case 10 is firmly mounted.
Although the present invention has fully been described byway of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, unless otherwise ~0 suchchangesandmodificationsdepartfromthescopeoftheinvention, they should be construed as being included therein.
~6
ll, a main frame of the bicycle mainly includes a head pipe 104 on ~0 which a handlebar 105 is mounted, a standing pipe 102 on which a saddle 106 is mounted, and a main pipe (hidden by a battery case 110 in Fig. 11) bridging the head pipe 104 and the standing pipe 102, and the like. A structure is generally known in which the battery case ll0 loaded with batteries is disposed on themain pipe, CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 as shown in Fig. 11. The battery case 110 may be disposed in the frontorintherearofthestandingpipe102insteadofbeingdisposed on the main pipe. In Fig- 11, the reference numeral 101 represents a drivingsectioninCorporatinganelectricmotor, aspeedreduction mechanism, a torque sensor, and the like; and the reference numeral 119 represents a frame cover that covers metal fittings provided in the main frame. The reference numeral 115 represents a cap for covering a charging connector. The cap 115 prevents intrusion of water and dust.
In the conventional electrically driven bicycle, the battery case is mounted over or under the main pipe, or in the front or in the rear of the standing pipe, as described above. Therefore, a structureisadoptedinwhichabatterypackisprepared, forexample, bymakingfiverowseachincludingfourbatteriesconnectedinseries, allowingallthebatteriestobeconnectedinseries, andthebattery pack is inserted into the battery case as it is. However, since each of the batteries has a diameter of about 33mm, the height of thestackedbatterieswillbeveryhighwhenthenumberofthestacked batteries is about three or more. Therefore, a problem arises such ~0 that there will be alargeprotuberance formed bythe batteries over the main pipe or in front of the standing pipe, making it difficult to ride on or off the bicycle.
Further, in the case where the batteries are to be disposed in the front or in the rear of the standing pipe, if the battery CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 case is to be disposed on the chain case because of the existence of the chain case, the saddle must be mounted at a higher position, so that it will be very difficult for a less tall person to ride the bicycle because the feet cannot reach the ground so easily On the other hand, in the case where the batteries are disposed in a space adjacent to the chain case, the batteries are unbalanced, so thattheusercannotridethebicycleinastablemannerand, further, the batteries are not arranged in order, making the wiring complex and increasing the costs.
Moreover, ifsucha cap forcoveringthe connectorisprovided, it may possibly be an obstacle in riding on the bicycle because the clothes or the feet of the user maybe caught by the cap and, besides that, the appearance will be deteriorated, although the cap for covering the connector prevents intrusion ofwater and dust. Also, although the fixing member for fixing the battery to the main frame isprovidedtointerlockwithakey, thefixingmembercanbeactuated with the key even if the battery is not fixed to the main frame.
Therefore, the user can allow the bicycle to run even ifthe battery isnotfirmlyfixedtothemainframe,sothatthebatterymaypossibly fall off while the bicycle is traveling.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in view of these circumstances and one object thereof is to provide an electrically driven bicycle with improved facility in riding on and off the CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 bicycle by disposing the batteries separately to surround the main frame in order to provide less protuberance on each side, instead of disposing all the batteries only on one side of the main frame.
Another object of the present invention is to improve facility 5 in riding on and off the bicycle by allowing the side of the battery case facing away from the main frame (the front or upper side of the battery case) to be shaped like an arc or to have a smaller width Still another object of the present invention is to provide an electrically driven bicycle having a battery configuration that 10 allows the front or upper side of the battery case to have a smaller width .
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an electrically driven bicycle having a battery configuration with good space utilization efficiency by evading the chain case if the 15 battery case is to be disposed near the standing pipe.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an electrically driven bicycle having a battery case without exposlng the connector section to outside, thereby eliminating the need for a cap for covering the connector section, reducing the ~0 number of components in the bicycle, and providing a good appearance Still another object of the present invention is to provide an electrically driven bicycle in which the battery case can be firmly fixed to the main frame, thereby ensuring a safety of the bicycle .
CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 Accordingly, the present inventio11 provides an electrically driven bicycle including: a driving section for driving a wheel;
a battery for supplying an electric power to the driving section;
and a battery case loaded with the battery and mounted onto a main frame of the bicycle, wherein the battery case is formed to have a transversal cross section that includes a recess to cover at least a part of an outer surface of the main frame, and at least a portion of the battery is inserted into an inner space on each side of the recess.
BRIFF DESCRIPTION OF THF DRA~INGS
The present invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. l is a side view of an electrically driven bicycle according to one embodiment of the present invention;
Fig.2isaviewshowingatransversalcrosssectionofabattery case and a standing pipe of the electrically driven bicycle of Fig.
l;
~0 Fig. 3is a viewshowinga vertical cross sectionofthebattery case of the electrically driven bicycle of Fig. l;
Fig. 4 is a view showing a vertical cross section of a charging connector section in the electrically driven bicycle of Fig. l;
Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view cut along the line A-A of Fig.
CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a fixed state of an upper portion of the battery case by means of a fixing means;
Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view cut along the line A-A of Fig 6;
Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a non-fixed state of the upper portion of the battery case by means of a fixing means;
Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view cut alongthe line B-B of Fig.
8;
Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view cut along the line B-B of Fig. 6; and Fig. 11 is a side view of a conventional electrically driven bicycle according to one example.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRE~ERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention provides an electrically driven bicycle including: a driving section for driving a wheel; a battery for supplying an electric power to the driving section; and a battery case loaded with the battery and mounted onto a main frame of the bicycle, wherein the battery case is formed to have a transversal cross section that includes a recess to cover at least a part of an outer surface of the main fra~e, and at least a portion of the battery is inserted into an inner space on each side of the recess.
Here, the main frame of the bicycle refers to a principal component of a bicycle frame that constitutes the bicycle and CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 includesaheadpipe (headtube)onwhichahandlebaristobemounted, astandlngpipe (seattube) onwhichasaddle (seat) istobemounted, a main pipe (down tube) that bridges the head pipe and the standing pipe, and the like With this structure, the battery case is prevented from protruding only to one side of the main frame, thereby providing a compact shape and greatly improving the facility in riding on and off the bicycle.
The battery case that covers the main frame has an outline of the transversal cross section such that a central portion of a perimeter opposite to the recess has an arc-like shape or the width of the central portion is smaller than the width of the perimeter of the recess. Accordingly, the width of the front or upper side of the protrusion from the main frame will be smaller, thereby greatly improving the facility in riding on and off the bicycle.
Thepluralityofbatteries tobeinsertedintothebatterycase are preferably formed into a batteryassembly. Namely, the battery assembly is made of a first battery pack having n batteries (where n is an integer of two or more) arranged in a line and wrapped in series connection and two second battery packs each having n batteries arranged in a plurality of lines and wrapped in series connection.
Preferably, the battery case includes a protrusion formed opposite to the recessi the first battery pack is inserted into an CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 lnner space of the protrusion; and each of the two second battery packs is respectively inserted into the inner space on each side of the recess in such a manner that the two second battery packs are closer to each other in a direction towards the first battery pack.
Slnce the two second battery packs are inserted as descrlbed above so that the two second battery packs are closer to each other onthe firstbatterypackside, the frontoruppersideofthebattery case facing away from the main frame can be advantageously formed to have an arc-like shape or to have a smaller width.
Preferably, the electrically driven bicycle of the present invention is constructed in such a manner that the main frame includes a standing pipe and a main pipe; the standing pipe extends obliquely in a downward and forward direction from the saddle; the main pipe is connected to the standing pipe and extends obliquely in an upward and forward direction; the electrically drivenbicycle further includes a chain case and a mounting platform; the chain case extends toward a rear wheel from a connecting part of the standing pipe and the main pipe; the mounting platform is disposed at the connecting part and serves to mount the battery case on the standing pipe by mounting a lower end of the battery case thereon;
thebatterycaseisprovidedwithanarrowportionandawideportion;
the narrow portion is disposed at the lower end of the battery case and formed to have a width smaller than that of an upper portion CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 of the battery case in a right-and-left dlrection so as not to interfere with the chain case; the narrow portion is provided with an output terminal for the batteries; the wide portion is disposed at the upper portion of the battery case and extends above the chain 5 case; and the batteries are inserted into an inner space of the wide portion so that the batteries are substantially symmetrical with respect to a central plane formed by a center line of the standing pipe and a center line of the main pipe.
By providing the above construction, the batteries are 10 substantially symmetrical with respect to the central plane in the right-and-left direction, thereby improving a stability of the bicycle. Further, the height of the battery case from a bottom of the bicycle can be made smaller by efficiently arranging other electronic components, such as an output terminal and a connector, 15 adj acent to the chain case .
Preferably, the electrically driven bicycle of the present invention is constructed in such a manner that the batteries are rechargeable; the battery case includes a charging connector section for charging the batteries; the connector section is located at a _O portion of the battery case nearer to the main frame; and the battery case is mounted onto the main frame in such a manner that the connector section is hidden by the main frame.
By providing this construction, since the charging connector section is hidden by the main frame, intrusion of water and dust CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 can be easily prevented, whereby a need for providing a cap is eliminated, thus reducing the number of components in the blcycle.
Preferably, an elastic sheet is disposed at a contacting part of the battery case and the main frame so as to fix the battery case firmly onto the main frame and to prevent wobbling of the battery case. Preferably, the elastic sheet is disposed above thecharglng connectorsection andbetween thebatterycase andthe standingpipe in the case where the battery case is mounted near the standingpipe of the main frame, thereby shutting off the rain water and the like coming down along the standing pipe.
Preferably, the batterycasehas astructuresuch that theside portions of the battery case are bent towards the main frame so that the battery case covers the charging connector section, thereby further protecting the charging connector section from the rain water andthelike. Specifically, itispreferablethat thebattery case is formed to have a substantially U-shaped transversal cross section and is mounted to cover the main frame, and the charging connector section is disposed at a bottom of the U-shaped portion.
Preferably, the electrically driven bicycle of the present ~0 invention further includes a mount detecting means and a fixing means; the mount detecting means detects that the battery case is mounted to a predetermined position of the main frame; the fixing means fixes the battery case to the main frame, whereby the fixing means fixes the battery case to the main frame only when the mount CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 detecting means detects that thebatterycase is mounted to the main frame.
In other words, in the case where the battery case is to be mounted on the main frame, the detecting means does not detect that 6 the battery case is mounted and the fixing means cannot fix the battery case onto the main frame until the battery case is firmly mounted to the main frame. When the battery case is firmly mounted to the main frame, the fixing means can fix the battery case onto the main frame.
Further, the detecting means may include an elastic body (an urging member) for urging the battery case in the non-mounting direction (i.e. in a direction that resists the battery case from being mounted to the main frame). The elastic body preferably has an elastic force larger than the weight of the battery case.
16 By providing this construction, the fixing means cannot fix the battery case onto the main frame merely under a condition that the battery case is mounted onto the main frame. It is only after the battery case is pressed by a force of the user to contract the elastic body in the mounting direction that the fixing means is ~0 actuated to fix the battery case onto the main frame Preferably, the fixing means includes a lock that fixes/releases the battery case to/from the main frame and is interlocked with a power switch, whereby the power switch is turned on when the battery case is fixed to the main frame by the lock.
CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 By providing thls construction, an electric power clrcuit is not energlzed if the battery case is not firmly mounted to the main frame, and it is only after the battery case is fixed to the main framebythe fixingmeans thatthepowerswitch is turnedon, thereby ensuring a safety of the bicycle.
Preferably, the battery case is disposed in a neighborhood including at least an outer surface of the standingpipe of the main frame at a front wheel side, and the fixing means includes a lock disposed at a rear wheel side of the standing pipe and releasably fixing an upper end of the battery case to the standing pipe.
By providing this construction, the battery case will not be an obstacle for riding on and off the bicycle, and the battery case can be fixed onto the standing pipe in an embracing manner, so that the battery case can be firmly fixed onto the standing pipe.
EMBODIMENTS
An electrically driven bicycle according to the present invention is now detailed with reference to the attached drawings.
Referring to Fig. 1 which illustrates a side view of an embodiment,theelectricallydrivenbicycleofthepresentinvention i~0 includes a driving section 1 for driving a wheel, a battery for supplying an electric power to the driving sectlon 1, and a battery case 10 for housing the battery. The battery case 10 is mounted near a standlng pipe 2 which is a component of a main frame.
Referring to Fig. 2, the battery case 10 is formed to have a CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 transversal cross section that includes a recess lOc to cover at least a part of an outer perimeter (outer surface) of the standing pipe 2.
As shown in Fig. 2, the battery case 10 is formed to have a S U-shaped cross section by providing the recess lOc which covers a front wheel side and lateral sldes of the standing pipe 2. In other words, the battery case 10 is disposed to cover not only the front or rear part of the standing pipe 2 but also the lateral sides of the standing pipe 2. Further, in the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, the battery case 10 is formed so that the front part thereof has a width E smaller than the width D of the battery case 10 at the standing pipe 2 side. The battery case 10 includes a rear case 18a andafrontcase18bthatare formed, forexample, byplasticmolding.
The rear case 18a and the front case 18b are formed into one case 16 by an engagement of pawls 18c.
As shown by a vertical cross section in Fig. 3, the battery case 10 houses a battery assembly including a first battery pack 12a having fourbatteries 12 arrangedin a llneandwrappedinseries connection into a packed body and two second battery packs 12b each having eight batteries arranged in two lines (each line containing four batteries) and wrapped in series connection into two packed bodies. As shown in Fig. 2, the first battery pack 12a is inserted into an inner space of a top portion which is a protrusion formed opposlte to the front side of the standing pipe 2, namely, opposite , CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 to the recess lOc, and the second packs 12b are inserted in the direction from the lateral sides of the standing pipe 2 (i.e. the inner spaces on both sides of the recess lOc) towards the flrst pack 12a.
S These twenty batteries 12 are connected together in series.
In the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, the two second packs 12b are respectively inserted into the inner spaces on both sides of the standing pipe 2 in such a manner that the two second battery packs 12b are closer to each other on the first pack 12a side, i.e. so that the cross sections of the second battery packs form a shape like a character "~". The above-mentioned pawls 18c for engaging the rear case 18a and the front case 18b are formed at a position approximatelyin the middle ofaside surface ofeach secondbattery pack 12b.
A protrusion lOa is provided at a bottom of the battery case 10. The protrusion lOa can be inserted into an insertion hole 20a ofamountingplatform20 fixedbyweldingortheliketo thestanding pipe 2 and the main pipe 3 at a connecting part of the pipes 2, 3.
Further, the lower end of the battery case 10 is formed to have a ~0 smaller width in order to evade the chain case 7 (See F of Fig. 3), and an upper portion of the battery case 10 above the chain case 7 is formed to have a larger width (See G of Fig. 3). The batteries 12 are inserted into the upper and wider portion of the batterycase 10 so that the batteries are approximately symmetrical in the CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 right-and-left dlrection with respect to a central plane (theplane formed by the center line of the standing pipe 2 and the center line ofthemainpipe3). Further, electriccomponentssuchasacharging connector 11, a fuse 13, and an output terminal lq are disposed in the lower and narrower portion of the battery case 10. Therefore, the upper and wider portion of the battery case 10 can be used exclusively as a space for the batteries 12, so that the batterles 12 can be arranged efficiently in the battery case 10.
The lower end of the battery case 10 as shown above is fixed near the standing pipe 2 by insertion of its protrusion lOa into the insertion hole 20a of the mounting platform 20, and the upper portion of the battery case 10 is clamped, in interlocking relationship with the rotation of the key that switches the output of the battery on and off, by means of metal clamp 33 of a key box 30 as a lock that is attached to the standing pipe 2. The output terminal of the battery case 10 will be connected to a connection pin of a terminal platform 22 provided on the mounting platform 20 when the battery case 10 is mounted on the mounting platform 20.
Also, an elastic sheet 17 is stuck by adhesion onto an inner surface of the recess lOc of the battery case 10 so that the battery case 10 is firmly fixedonto thestandingpipe2 withoutcausingawobble.
The peripheryofthe mountingplatform20is coveredbya framecover 28 to protect the mounting platform 20 and to maintain good appearance.
CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 The other components such as a front wheel, a ~ear wheel, a handlebar, a saddle, a pedal, and a chain are the same as those of an ordinary bicycle, and the functions performed by a brake and the likearealsothesame~sothatanexplanationthereofwillbeomitted here. In the previous example, the battery case lO is disposed in the front and on the lateral sides of the standing pipe 2 so as to cover the standing pipe 2. The same explanation will apply also to the case in which the battery case lO is mounted near another portionofthemainframe, suchasthemainpipe. Thecentralportion of the battery case lO disposed at the front side opposite to the recess and facing away from the main frame may be formed to have a continuous arc-like shape from the lateral sides instead of being formedto have anarrowprojectioninits transversal crosssection.
As described above, the battery case lO in the electrically drivenbicycle ofthepresentinventionincludes the recesslOcthat covers the main frame. Accordingly, the thickness or the height of the battery case lO protruding forward or upward from the main frame can be made smaller than in conventional bicycles, so that the battery case lO will not be an obstacle in riding on and off ~O thebicycle. Also, evenifthebatterycaselOextendsinthelateral direction of the standing pipe 2 or the main pipe, the width of the battery case 10 is smaller than the distance between the pedals, so that the battery case 10 will not be an obstacle in stepping the pedals or in riding on and off the bicycle, thereby providing an CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 electrically driven bicycle with great facility in riding on and off the bicycle. The facility in riding on and off the bicycle will be further improved in the case where the top portion of the protrusion (the frontportionoppositeto the recess) ofthebattery case 10 is formed to have an arc-like shape or to have a smaller width in its transversal cross section.
The plurality of batteries 12 to be inserted into the battery case 10 having the above structure cannot be inserted together as a bundle. However, the width of the battery case 10 at its front or upper portion can be made smaller than the width of the battery case 10 at its lateral sides by dividing the batteries 12 into a first pack 12a having aplurality ofbatteries 12 arranged in a line and two second packs 12b each having a plurality of batteries arranged in two lines and by inserting each of the two second packs 12b respectively into an inner space on each side of the recess lOc and inserting the first pack 12a into the protrusion opposite to the recess lOc. Therefore, the battery case 10 can be formed into a smooth arc-like shape without a square shoulder portion (See R
portion in Fig. 2).
~O In other words, if the two second packs 12b of batteries are inserted parallel to each other, their shoulder portions will protrude greatly like a square, so that the width of the battery case at its front or upper portion will be wider. However, by inserting the two second packs 12b ofbatteries 12 obliquelyso that CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 they are not parallel to each other, the width of the battery case 10 at its front or upper portion can be made smaller, as described before. Further, since the two second packs 12b of batteries 12 disposed on the lateral sides are obliquely arranged so that they are closer to each other at the front or upper portion thereof, a space for engagement of the pawls 18c can be ensured by dividing the battery case 10 into two portions and providing the engagement portions on the lateral sides of the two second packs 12b. As a result, the battery case 10 can be formed to be compact and with a narrow width at its front or upper portion.
Further, by allowing the rear or bottom portion of the battery case 10 to have a narrower width, the chain case 7 can be evaded and, moreover, bymountingthe electriccomponentssuch as an output terminal and a connector in the narrower portion, the batteries 12 can be arranged in the wider portion above the chain case 7 so that thebatteries12 areapproximatelyinsymmetryintheright-and-left direction with respect to the central plane, thereby providing a battery case 10 which is compact and stable.
The charging connector 11 for charging the rechargeable batteries 12 is disposed at the standing pipe 2 side of the battery caselO, asshowninFig.4whichillustratesaverticalcrosssection of that portion. Further, the battery case 10 is mounted so that the charging connector 11 is hidden by the standingpipe 2, as shown in Fig. 5 which illustrates a cross section cut along the line A-A
CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 of Fig. 4.
A protruslon lOa is disposed at the bottom of the battery case 10. The protrusion lOa engages with an insertion hole 20a provided in the mounting platform 20 and is fixed thereto by a tongue piece 21 of the mounting platform 20 for preventing the battery case 10 from falling forward. Also, in this example, an output terminal 14 is disposed to be in contact with a connection pin 23 provided on the mounting platform 20, so that the output from the batteries 12 can be taken out simply by mounting the battery case 10 onto the mounting platform 20.
Anupperportionofthebatterycase lOis fixedbybeingpulled towards the standing pipe 2 by means of a key box 30, as shown in Fig. 1. Therefore, the upper portion of the battery case 10 can be easily dislodged by releasing the fixation performed by the key box 30 and pulling the upper portion of the battery case 10 upward whileallowingthebatterycasetoleanalittleforward. Conversely, in mounting the battery case 10, the protrusion lOa at the bottom of the battery case 10 is inserted into the insertion hole 20a of the mounting platform 20 by mounting the battery case 10 onto the ~0 mounting platform 20 while allowing the battery case 20 to lean a little forward, and the battery case 10 is mounted in place by allowing the upperportion ofthebatterycase 10 to approach toward the standingpipe 2, whereby the battery case 10 can be easily fixed by means of the key box 30.
CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 Inthepresentinventlon, thechargingconnectorllisdisposed at a position at the bottom of the battery case 10 and at a center of the side which is in contact with the standlng pipe 2. The rechargeable batteries can be charged, for example, by inserting S aplug, which isprovidedinacharger (notshown), into thecharging connector 11. Since the charging connector 11 is provided on the standingpipe2 sideofthebatterycaselO in thepresentinvention, the batteries 12 cannot be charged while the battery case 10 is mounted on the main frame. The batteries 12 are charged by dislodgingthebatterycasel~andinsertingtheplugofthecharger.
Meanwhile, an opening of the charging connector 11 is blocked by thestandingpipe 2, so thatthe chargingconnectorllis notvisible from outside at all and is mounted directly in contact with the standing pipe 2 without a cap.
In this example, an elastic sheet 17 is disposed between the battery case 10 and the standing pipe 2. The elastic sheet 17 is, for example, made of an expanded urethane foam and is preferably disposed because the elastic sheet 17 can fix the battery case 10 to the standingpipe2 firmlyandcanprevent wobblingofthebattery ~0 case lO. In the example shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5, the elastic sheet 17 is disposed at a position above the connector 11. By providing the elastic sheet 17 at a position above the connector 11, the elastic sheet 17 will not be an obstacle in charging the batterieseven ifthe elasticsheet17 is kept fixedonto thebattery _O
CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 case 10. Moreover, the rain water running down from above can be prevented from immersing into the connector 11. Alternatively, however, if the elastic sheet 17 is stuck onto the standing pipe 2, theelasticsheet17 canlieovertheconnectorllas well, thereby further preventing the wobbling of the battery case 10 and the immersion of water into the connector 11.
In the electrically driven bicycle of the present invention, the upper portion ofthebatterycaselO is fixedbymeansofa fixing member (metal clamp 33) of the key box 30 which is mounted on the standing pipe 2, as shown in Fig. 6.
In the key box 30, the metal clamp 33, which constitutes the fixing member, is fixed by means of a screw (not shown) onto a key station 32 which is rotatable by insertion of a key 31, as shown in Fig. 7. A clamping portion 33a having an arc-like inner surface is formed on a part of the outer circumference of the metal clamp 33 and is capable of being in sliding contact with an outer circumference of a cylindrical body or tubular body by rotation, whereby the clamping portion 33a is brought into sliding contact with a sliding portion (roller 15) which is disposed on the battery case 10 and having a circular outer circumference (See Fig. 5) A
magnet 35 is mounted on the metal clamp 33 so that a reed switch (not shown) attached on a substrate (not shown) mounted on a substrate mounting frame 37 is turned on when the magnet 35 approaches the reed switch. In other words, by a predetermined CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 amount (one stage) of rotation of the key 31, the clamping portlon 33a of the metal clamp 33 is brought into sliding contact with the sliding portion of the battery case 10 to fix the battery case 10.
By one further stage of rotation, the magnet 35, while maintaining 6 the sliding state, approaches the reed switch to turn the power on.
A concave-convex portion 33b is formed on the outer circumference of the metal clamp 33 opposite to the clamping portion 33a, as shown in Fig. 6 or Fig. 8, to engage with a spring piece 43 formedbyanelasticbodythathasashapeengagingwithitsconcave 10 portion, thereby allowing clicks in the rotation of the key 31 (so that the key rotates stage by stage) . The spring piece 43 is mounted onto a key stay 42 by a screw. Further, a pawl portion 33c is formed adj acent to the concave-convex portion 33b . In releasing the fixation of the battery case 10, the pawl portion 33c strikes a 15 projecting piece portion 44a of a stopper pin 44 to inhibit the rotation of the key 31.
Since the stopper pin 44 is mounted onto the key stay 42 via a spring 45 as shown in Fig. 7, the projecting piece portion 44a of the stopper pin 44 is dislodged from the pawl portion 33c by ~0 pressing the stopper pin 44 in the direction of S so as to rotate the key 31 in the releasing direction. Namely, in order to prevent the battery case 10 from falling off by inadvertent rotation of the key 31 in the releasing direction, the battery case 10 is allowed to dislodge by rotating the key 31 while pressing the stopper pin CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 44. The pawl portion 33c is formed in a twisted shape~ so that the key31 canbe rotatedina reversedirection, namelyin thedlrection for mounting the battery case 10, without pressing the stopper pin 44.
A pressing member 50, which is a detecting means made ofresin, is disposed in contact with a front tip of the stopper pin 44 as seen in the direction of S. The pressing member S0 lncludes a restricting section 50a and a contact section 50b. The restricting section 50a is brought into contact with the stopper pin 44. The contact section 50b is brought into contact with a protrusion lOc formed on the battery case lO for being detected and is pressed when the battery case 10 is mounted. Further, the pressing member 50 is provided with a spring 51 which is an elastic body for urging the battery case 10 in the direction which resists the battery case 10 from being mounted.
When the battery case 10 is not mounted, the pressing member 50 is pressed towards the battery case 10 by a force of the spring 51 as shown in Fig. 9, so that the restricting section 50a and the stopperpin44arein contactandthestopperpin44cannotbepressed ~0 by the user. Also, when the battery case lO is mounted as shown in Fig. 10, the pressing member 50 is pressed by the protrusion lOc of the battery case 10, so that the contact between the stopper pin 44 and the restricting section 50a is released and the stopper pin 44 can be operated. The force of the spring 51 for urging the CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 pressing member 50 ls set to such a degree that the spring S1 does not contract merely under the condition that the battery case 10 lS mounted, so that the pressing member 50 can be moved only after the battery case 10 is pressed into a mounted state by a force of the user.
In the key box 30, metal fittings 41 are fixed by being stuck to the standing pipe 2, as shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 8. The above-mentioned key station 32 and the substrate 37 are fixed onto the metal fittings 41 as shown in Fig. 7, and further the key stay 42 for holding the stopper pin 44 and the spring 45 is fixed by the screw 46. A tongue piece 41a is provided on the metals flttings 41 and is disposed above the projection lOb of the sliding portion ofthebatterycaselO. Asaresult, thebatterycaselOisprevented from being dislodged upwards by the upward and downward vibration ofthe batterycase 10. Naturally, the lowerportion of the battery case is held by the mounting platform 20.
The other components such as a front wheel, a rear wheel, a handle, a saddle, a pedal, and a chain are the same as those of an ordinary bicycle, and the functions performed by a brake and the likearealsothesame, sothatanexplanationthereofwillbeomitted here. In the previous example, the battery case 10 is mounted onto the standingpipe. The same explanation will applyalso to the case in which the battery case 10 is mounted onto another portion of the main frame such as the main pipe if the battery case 10 is mounted CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 in a vertical dlrection or ln an oblique direction.~
Next, with reference to Figs. 6, 10, 8, and 9, an explanation will be given on the operations of attaching/detaching the battery case 10 and turning the switch on/off by operating the key 31 of 5 the key box 30. Referring to Figs. 8 and 9, the upper portion of the battery case 10 is not fixed while the clamping portion 33a of the metal clamp 33 is not in sliding contact with the sliding portion of the battery case 10, and the battery case 10 can be dislodged by tilting the upper portion of the battery case 10 forward and 10 pulling it out. Here, the battery case 10 cannot be brought from the fixed state into this released state unless the stopper pin 44 is pressed as described before.
On the other hand, the battery case 10 containing the recharged batteries is mounted on the mounting platform 20 so that the lS protrusion 10a of the battery case 10 is inserted into the insertion hole 20a of the mounting platform 20, and then the key 31 is rotated while allowing the upper portion of the battery case 10 to be in close contact with the standing pipe 2, whereby the clamping portion 33a of the metal clamp 33 is brought into sliding contact with the 20 sliding portion 15 of the battery case 10 and, by rotating the metal clamp 33 into the state shown in Fig. 6, the upper portion of the battery case 10 is fixed and the switch is turned on. Further, when the metal clamp 33 is rotated by rotating the key 31, the switch is turned off.
CA 02246~90 1998-09-04 Next, an explanation of theoperation for mounting thebattery case 10 will be given. In the case where the battery case 10 is dislodged for charging or the like, the position of the key 31 is such that the key 31 has been rotated clockwise, as shown in Fig.
8. This state prevents the user from pressing the stopper pin 44 because the stopper pin 44 and the restricting section 50a of the pressing member 50 are in contact, as shown in Fig. 9. When the batterycase 10 is mounted andthebatterycase 10 ispressedagainst the force of the spring 51 by the user, the contact portion 50b is pressed by the protrusion lOc and the pressing member 50 is pressed upwards as a whole in the Figure, releasing the contact between the restricting section 50a and the stopper pin 44, whereby the stopper pin 44 can be pressed by the user. By this construction, the key 31 cannot be rotated and an electric power cannot be supplied from the batteries unless the battery case 10 is firmly mounted.
Although the present invention has fully been described byway of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, unless otherwise ~0 suchchangesandmodificationsdepartfromthescopeoftheinvention, they should be construed as being included therein.
~6
Claims (12)
1. An electrically driven bicycle comprising:
a driving section for driving a wheel;
a battery for supplying an electric power to the driving section; and a battery case loaded with the battery and mounted on to a main frame of the bicycle, wherein the battery case is formed to have a transversal cross section that includes a recess to cover at least a part of an outer surface of the main frame, and at least a portion of the battery is inserted into an inner space on each side of the recess.
a driving section for driving a wheel;
a battery for supplying an electric power to the driving section; and a battery case loaded with the battery and mounted on to a main frame of the bicycle, wherein the battery case is formed to have a transversal cross section that includes a recess to cover at least a part of an outer surface of the main frame, and at least a portion of the battery is inserted into an inner space on each side of the recess.
2. The electrically driven bicycle of claim 1, wherein a battery assembly is formed to include a first battery pack having a plurality of batteries arranged in a line and wrapped in series connection and two second battery packs each having a plurality of batteries arranged in a plurality of lines and wrapped in series connection, the battery case including a protrusion formed opposite to the recess, the first battery pack being inserted into an inner space of the protrusion, and each of the two second battery packs being respectively inserted into the inner space on each side of the recess in such a manner that the two second battery packs are closer to each other in a direction towards the first battery pack.
3. The electrically driven bicycle of claim 1, wherein the main frame comprises a standing pipe and a main pipe, the standing pipe extending obliquely in a downward and forward direction from the saddle, the main pipe being connected to the standing pipe and extending obliquely in an upward and forward direction, the electrically driven bicycle further comprising a chain case and a mounting platform, the chain case extending toward a rear wheel from a connecting part of the standing pipe and the main pipe, the mounting platform being disposed at the connecting part and serving to mount the battery case on the standing pipe by mounting a lower end of the battery case thereon, the battery case being provided with a narrow portion and a wide portion, the narrow portion being disposed at the lower end of the battery case and formed to have a width smaller than that of an upper portion of the battery case in a right-and-left direction so as not to interfere with the chain case, the narrow portion being provided with an output terminal for the batteries, the wide portion being disposed at the upper portion of the battery case and extending above the chain case, the batteries being inserted into an inner space of the wide portion so that the batteries are substantially symmetrical with respect to a central plane formed by a center line of the standing pipe and a center line of the main pipe.
4. The electrically driven bicycle of claim 1, wherein the battery is rechargeable and the battery case includes a charging connector section for charging the battery, the connector section being located at a portion of the battery case nearer to the main frame, the battery case being mounted onto the main frame in such a manner that the connector section is hidden by the main frame.
5. The electrically driven bicycle of claim 4, wherein the battery case is mounted in contact with the main frame and an elastic sheet is disposed at a contacting part of the battery case and the main frame.
6. The electrically driven bicycle of claim 5, wherein the battery case is mounted onto the standing pipe of the main frame and the elastic sheet is disposed above the connector section of the battery case and at the contacting part of the battery case and the standing pipe.
7. The electrically driven bicycle of claim 4, wherein a side surface of the battery case is formed to have a shape which covers a side portion of the outer surface of the main frame.
8. The electrically driven bicycle of claim 7, wherein the battery case includes a U-shaped portion having a substantially U-shaped transversal cross section and the connector section is disposed at a bottom of the U-shaped portion.
9. The electrically driven bicycle of claim 1, further comprising amount detecting means and a fixing means, the mount detecting means detecting that the battery case is mounted to a predetermined position of the main frame, the fixing means fixing the battery case to the main frame, whereby the fixing means fixes the battery case to the main frame only when the mount detecting means detects that the battery case is mounted to the main frame.
10. The electrically driven bicycle of claim 9, wherein the mount detecting means includes an urging member for urging the battery case in a direction that resists the battery case from being mounted.
11. The electrically driven bicycle of claim 9, wherein the fixing means comprises a lock that fixes/releases the battery case to/from the main frame and is interlocked with a power switch, whereby the power switch is turned on when the battery case is fixed to the main frame by the lock.
12. The electrically driven bicycle of claim 9, wherein the battery case is disposed in a neighborhood including at least an outer surface of the standing pipe of the main frame at a front wheel side, and the fixing means comprises a lock disposed at a rear wheel side of the standing pipe and releasably fixing an upper end of the battery case to the standing pipe.
Applications Claiming Priority (8)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| JP25038497A JP3363754B2 (en) | 1997-09-16 | 1997-09-16 | Electric bicycle |
| JPHEI9-(1997)-250386 | 1997-09-16 | ||
| JP25038697A JP3470941B2 (en) | 1997-09-16 | 1997-09-16 | Electric bicycle |
| JP25038597A JP3475054B2 (en) | 1997-09-16 | 1997-09-16 | Electric bicycle |
| JPHEI9-(1997)-250384 | 1997-09-16 | ||
| JPHEI9-(1997)-250385 | 1997-09-16 | ||
| JP01625398A JP3495585B2 (en) | 1998-01-28 | 1998-01-28 | Electric bicycle |
| JPHEI10(1998)-16253 | 1998-01-28 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2246590A1 true CA2246590A1 (en) | 1999-03-16 |
Family
ID=27456538
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002246590A Abandoned CA2246590A1 (en) | 1997-09-16 | 1998-09-04 | Electrically driven bicycle |
Country Status (3)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (1) | US6148944A (en) |
| EP (1) | EP0908380A3 (en) |
| CA (1) | CA2246590A1 (en) |
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| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN109004125A (en) * | 2018-07-16 | 2018-12-14 | 项灿 | Tube hidden type battery |
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| US7168514B2 (en) * | 2003-06-27 | 2007-01-30 | Gregory James Newell | Materials handling device and system |
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| US7267352B2 (en) * | 2005-02-18 | 2007-09-11 | Shimano, Inc. | Apparatus for mounting an electrical component to a bicycle |
| US20060186158A1 (en) * | 2005-02-18 | 2006-08-24 | Shimano, Inc. | Water resisting apparatus for a bicycle electrical component |
| JP4065286B2 (en) * | 2005-08-09 | 2008-03-19 | 株式会社シマノ | Bicycle electric derailleur |
| USD634673S1 (en) * | 2009-01-26 | 2011-03-22 | B-Cycle, Llc | Bicycle |
| USD625228S1 (en) * | 2009-11-24 | 2010-10-12 | G-Cycle, LLC | Bicycle |
| DE102010000740A1 (en) * | 2010-01-08 | 2011-07-14 | Robert Bosch GmbH, 70469 | Electric bicycle has frame with multiple frame elements and battery pack with battery parts, where battery pack is detachably arranged at outer side of frame elements |
| DE102010005222A1 (en) | 2010-01-21 | 2011-07-28 | Schaeffler Technologies GmbH & Co. KG, 91074 | Power supply unit for use in car, has frame held into stared confinement that defines holding area by multiple elastic connections, and exhibiting defined spacing to stared confinement when supply unit is supported in holding area |
| JP5783400B2 (en) * | 2010-05-20 | 2015-09-24 | 有限会社Ｔｓｄｅｓｉｇｎ | bicycle |
| US8469381B2 (en) * | 2010-08-26 | 2013-06-25 | Cycling Sports Group, Inc. | Bicycle |
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| DE102011055719B4 (en) * | 2011-11-25 | 2013-10-31 | Günter Lang | Energy storage device for attachment to a bicycle frame |
| JP5999914B2 (en) * | 2012-02-09 | 2016-09-28 | 本田技研工業株式会社 | Electric vehicle power supply |
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| US9434445B1 (en) * | 2012-03-03 | 2016-09-06 | Dr. Nathan Jauvtis Engineering | Electronic bicycle |
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| KR101366557B1 (en) * | 2012-09-19 | 2014-02-26 | 주식회사 만도 | Apparatus for driving electric bicycle |
| DE102014211068A1 (en) * | 2014-06-11 | 2015-12-17 | Robert Bosch Gmbh | Electrically operable vehicle, in particular electric bicycle, with improved battery arrangement |
| USD774971S1 (en) * | 2014-10-31 | 2016-12-27 | Piaggio & C. S.P.A. | Electric bicycle |
| DE102014226828B4 (en) * | 2014-12-22 | 2019-02-07 | Biketec Ag | Bicycle frame, electric bicycle and energy storage |
| DE102015210234B4 (en) * | 2015-06-03 | 2023-06-15 | Vitesco Technologies Germany Gmbh | Housing for a cell block for an electrically powered vehicle |
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| USD797003S1 (en) * | 2015-10-10 | 2017-09-12 | Hangzhou Innomake Technology Co., Ltd. | Electrically assisted bicycle |
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| USD811275S1 (en) * | 2016-04-06 | 2018-02-27 | Matthew Hendey | Combination frame for an electric bicycle and housing for a motor and batteries |
| USD941948S1 (en) | 2016-07-20 | 2022-01-25 | Razor Usa Llc | Two wheeled board |
| USD828232S1 (en) * | 2016-11-14 | 2018-09-11 | Olimpia Kerekpar Kft | Cargo bicycle frame |
| JP6731368B2 (en) * | 2017-03-17 | 2020-07-29 | 株式会社シマノ | Bicycle battery unit |
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| USD1072679S1 (en) * | 2024-12-13 | 2025-04-29 | Dongguan Wind Horse New Energy Technology Limited | Electric bicycle |
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1998
- 1998-09-04 CA CA002246590A patent/CA2246590A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 1998-09-15 EP EP98307440A patent/EP0908380A3/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1998-09-15 US US09/153,476 patent/US6148944A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN109004125A (en) * | 2018-07-16 | 2018-12-14 | 项灿 | Tube hidden type battery |
| CN109004125B (en) * | 2018-07-16 | 2024-04-26 | 金华卓远实业有限公司 | Tube concealed battery |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| US6148944A (en) | 2000-11-21 |
| EP0908380A3 (en) | 2000-08-09 |
| EP0908380A2 (en) | 1999-04-14 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| FZDE | Discontinued |